Sunday, November 25, 2012

#12NovelsIn12Months Update: I Might Fail

As I write this, I my head and throat are aching and I'm sitting upright in bed. There's a cup of peppermint tea and several cough drop wrappers on my nightstand. Yes, I'm sick. I began feeling it on Wednesday. Thursday morning it was worse, but I forced myself to write 3,000 words on Darkridge Hall. Friday it was about the same, but Saturday I woke up feeling absolutely miserable. Today I am a little better, but my energy is sapped and the creative juices are flowing like molasses.

So, I must face a fact: I might fail in reaching 60,000 words this month and completing Darkridge Hall. My original goal was to write a novel a month for twelve months, but I notice that the hashtag I chose for it, #12NovelsIn12Months, does not make that distinction. I can cheat and say I'll write those twelve anytime during the twelve months. Sure, it's semantic justification, but if it keeps me from feeling like a failure, so be it. Anyway, if I finish Darkridge Hall sometime in early December, what difference will a few days have made in the long run? It means I'll have to be diligent to keep up a good pace for my December book, but I will not abandon the entire project because I fell behind one month. I will write these twelve novels. Yes, the title of this post should be "I Won't Fail."

There is still a chance I'll be able to rally and finish Darkridge Hall in the next few days. I'm going to try to write today, but I don't know how far I'll get. The time might be better served editing one of my completed projects. Either way, wish me luck!

4 comments:

I think quality must come first, so if you don't feel ok for writing you should rest! To tell the truth I always intended the 12 books in 12 months as an average indication. One book can be longer than another but this does not change your goal! Mind yourself Michael.Stefano

That's exactly my concern, Stefano. I could probably physically sit here and write a few thousands words, but would they be any good, or would they be the literary equivalent of what I feel like: crap? My goal is still in place. If I finish this one on December 3 or 5, that won't change.

I wouldn't consider writing 11 books in 12 months a failure! And if it takes 13 months or 15 months or whatever to complete 12 good reads, so be it. I agree with Stefano that quality and your health must come first. Perhaps you may a little disappointed if you don't reach your initial goal, but that's a far cry from failure. You should be proud of your accomplishments as a writer and also for establishing a goal and working toward it. I believe it's unhealthy for us to think of ourselves as failures, or even to think of not reaching a goal as failure. Either way, it sets us up for more "failure." You have much to be proud of. I enjoy reading your novels. Keep up the good work, Michael!